Pay the Toll
by Mistress Soul
Summary: Gabriel Agreste finally succeeds, and makes his wish. Things don't go as expected. Then again, they never do when Truth is involved.


When Gabriel Agreste made his wish using the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses, he thought everything would be able to go back to normal. He wouldn't have to akumatize anyone anymore, he wouldn't have to keep lying to his son, and he could finally be the father that Adrien truly needed. With his mother back, they could finally be a family once again.

He had finally done it. After all these years. He made the wish, but then?

Everything went black.

Now, he was awake. Widely so. And there was a white, shadowed humanoid shape in front of him. It smirked. "I see that the butterfly has awakened from his slumber." It said mockingly.

Gabriel looked around. There was nothing. Just pure white, the figure, and...a door?

"Where...where am I?" He asked, panicked. "And how did you know about the butterfly Miraculous?" His hands began to shake. For the first time in forever, Gabriel felt out of control. This wasn't part of the plan. "No, forget that! Who are you?" He yelled fearfully.

The being appeared to smirk. "Ah, I love it when I get that question! I am called by many names. I am the world, I'm the universe, I'm God, I am Truth, I am All, I am One, and I am also You."

The Miraculous holder paled. This couldn't be real. "Surely this is some sort of joke?"

The smirk on the being (Truth?) quickly faded. "No, _Hawkmoth_. I don't do jokes. In fact, I've been watching you for quite a long time now."

The doorway was beginning to open...

Gabriel felt an unnatural sense of dread at the sound of the slowly opening door. "If you really are some sort of God, then...why am I here?"

"You really don't know?" Truth's tone was unreadable. "Everyone who ends up here, no matter the dimension, has committed the same taboo." Gabriel's face became more and more pale. "You dared to play God, and you have violated the rules of Equivalent Exchange."

The doorway was halfway open now.

The apprehension in Gabriel's body felt like it was physically creeping onto his body. "Then this means that Ladybug and Chat Noir were right?" He asked with a tone of anguish, as if finally realizing what his presence in the realm truly entailed.

"Yes, yes it does. What, did you think you could revive her without paying the toll?" Truth scowled, "I must say, Gabriel Agreste, I have seen many, many individuals come to this realm before. But you are one of the most.._.frustrating_." Truth spat out the last word as if it was poison.

"A toll?" Gabriel asked in horror.

"Yes, a toll. And let me say...yours won't be a cheap one. In fact, before you enter that door, let me tell you a little story about one of the other individuals that ended up here once."

He wasn't so sure he wanted to hear this story, but the being started recounting it anyways. "In another world, or dimension if you will, there is a science called alchemy, the ability to reconstruct and deconstruct matter. Two young alchemists, Edward Elric and his brother, Alphonse Elric, performed a forbidden branch of alchemy known as _human transmutation. _When they were just little kids, their mother suddenly passed from illness, and their father had long since left them."

"However, in performing human transmutation, they violated the most important rule of alchemy: Equivalent Exchange. And as such, young Edward ended up here."

"What about this Alphonse boy? Didn't he also do the ritual?" Gabriel questioned.

Truth smirked, but it wasn't quite a mocking type of smirk like before. "I'll be getting to that in just a moment."

"Edward Elric lost his left leg in the ritual. Alphonse Elric lost his entire body. Edward sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse's soul to a set of armor."

Gabriel felt like throwing up. He couldn't imagine losing a finger, let alone an entire arm or leg, or both, like this poor kid did. And his brother had lost his entire body...

He had never met these boys, but he already pitied them.

"So surely they must have succeeded then, right?" He asked hopefully. "They paid their toll?"

He wasn't expecting the being to laugh in his face. "Oh no, that's not how things work around here. They created something, but it wasn't their mother. In fact, you could say it's a monster. It bled out and perished almost immediately." The being said nonchalantly.

The color drained from the fashion designer's body. "Wh-what?"

His question was ignored. "Edward Elric was later outfitted with artificial limbs, and he joined the military at the age of twelve as a State Alchemist in order to gain the money and resources needed to find the Philosopher's Stone, so that he could restore his brother's body, and his two missing limbs." Truth seemed to be smiling. "It's a pity that they attempted that transmutation. They are some of the most selfless and loyal people I've ever seen in my realm. Unlike you."

The doorway was completely open now.

"Ah. It appears it is time for you to pay your toll." Shadowy hands spread out from the door and latched onto Gabriel. He tried to run away, but it was futile. "I will make sure it is particularly painful for you. And think about this, little butterfly..."

"...How much more do you think your toll will be if you succeeded in awakening her, when the Elric brothers failed?" Truth's expression was that of a wild, feral animal. "Well then, I suppose you're about to find out, aren't you, little butterfly?"

The man didn't stop screaming, not even when he was almost completely inside the door.

"_Equivalent Exchange._" Truth said with a shark-like smirk, before the door closed.


End file.
